Learn Hardcore Polish: Można grzecznie poprosić właściciela psa, aby przeniósł go do windy. - You can politely ask the dog’s owner to carry him to the elevator.

można literally means “one can” or “it is possible to…”. It’s an impersonal construction with no explicit subject, commonly used to express that something is possible, permissible, or allowable (“You can politely ask…”).

Why is the verb poprosić used instead of the imperfective prosić?

poprosić is the perfective infinitive of “to ask,” focusing on the action as a single, completed request. In this sentence you’re talking about making a specific polite request. If you used prosić (imperfective), it would emphasize an ongoing or habitual action (“to be asking”), which doesn’t fit the intended meaning.

What role does the adverb grzecznie play, and why is it placed before poprosić?

grzecznie means “politely.” In Polish, adverbs typically precede the verb they modify. Placing grzecznie before poprosić clarifies that the manner of asking should be polite. You could also say poprosić grzecznie, but initial placement is more natural.

Why are właściciela and psa in the forms they appear, and which cases are they?

właściciela is the accusative singular of właściciel (“owner”). Because it’s a masculine animate noun, its accusative form is identical to its genitive form.
psa is the genitive singular of pies (“dog”). In the compound noun phrase “właściciel psa” (“owner of the dog”), psa is in the genitive to show possession.

Why is the conjunction aby used here instead of the more colloquial żeby?

Both aby and żeby introduce purpose or subordinate clauses. aby is slightly more formal or neutral, fitting the polite tone of the sentence. żeby would be understood too but sounds more everyday or colloquial.

Why is the verb przeniósł in the past tense if it refers to a future action?

In Polish, when a perfective verb appears in a subordinate clause introduced by aby, the past tense form is used to express a desired or intended future action. So przeniósł (3rd person singular past of przenieść) here means “that he will move (it)” in the future.

What does the pronoun go refer to, and why is it positioned there?

go is the accusative form of on (“him/it”) referring back to psa (“the dog”). In Polish, clitic pronouns like go typically occupy the second position in the clause, right after the first stressed element (here the verb przeniósł).

Why is it do windy instead of na windę?

do + genitive (here windy) expresses movement into an enclosed space (“into the elevator”). na + accusative would imply movement onto a surface or to an open area (e.g., na dworzec – “to the train station,” na stół – “onto the table”). Since an elevator is enclosed, Polish uses do windy.